Neil Blakestad
May 1, 1931 — March 6, 2015
Neil Blakestad, 83, Two Harbors, died peacefully on Friday, March 6, 2015 in St. Luke’s Hospital with his family at his side.
Neil was born May 1, 1931 to Sophus and Vera (Clark) Blakestad in Norwalk, IA. He grew up on the family farm in Iowa and graduated from high school in Northwood, IA in 1949. Neil worked as a mechanic until entering the US Navy, serving from 1951-1955. Upon his release from the Navy, he moved to Owatonna and was employed as a boiler operator at the Owatonna Power Plant. In 1956 Neil married Beth Zacharias and they later moved to Bloomington in 1967 where he worked as a ground crew chief for Northwest Airlines at the Humphrey Terminal, retiring in 1993. They moved to Two Harbors in 1994.
He enjoyed amateur radio, camping, tinkering, and searching on computers.
Neil was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Wallace.
He is survived by his wife, Beth; daughters Dawn (Mark) Yelle of Farmington and Julie Blakestad of Bloomington; a son, Brian (Carmen) Blakestad of St. Cloud; and a granddaughter Jessica Yelle of Farmington.
Private services will be held at a later date.